Combination container and television toy



March 23, 1954 HAYLEY 2,672,706

COMBINATION CONTAINER AND TELEVISION TOY Filed Sept. 21, 1951 2Sheets-Sheet 1 uuw L W115 a av March 23, 1954' Y, HAYLEY 2,672,706

COMBINATION CONTAINER AND TELEVISIOPX TOY Filed Sept. 21, 1951 2Sheets-Sheet 2 V fm/ezzfvz Zea J23 Y2. 155755 Patented Mar. 23, 1954COMBINATION CONTAINER AND TELEVISION TOY Lewis Y. L. Hayley, Hillside,Ill. Application September 21, 1951, Serial No. 247,733

5 Claims.

a My invention relates to a container and television toy and morparticularly to a merchandise container providing added interest andsales ap pea] by being usable as a toy after the merchandise is removedtherefrom.

An object of my invention is to provide a novel arrangement in which acontainer for food or gum is employed as a viewing device for pictures.

A further object is to enable a display holder for a confection to bevision apparatus.

Another object is the provision of a food or gum container and a stripof pictures that are viewed by use of the container as a viewing device.The container and picture strip may constitute a novelty apparatus bywhich a child may pretend that he is viewing a television program.

Other objects and advantages of th invention will be apparent from thefollowing description in which similar characters of reference indicatesimilar parts throughout the several views.

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view, with parts broken away, showing thenovel assembly of the present invention comprising a gum or foodcontainer and a strip of pictures;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on a line 22 of Fig. 1 in the directionof the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view showing the novel assembly of Fig. 1used with a sheet having a pictorial background whereby a further novelassembly is formed;

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the assembly of Fig. 3, with partscut away and in section as indicated Icy a line 4-4 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a rear perspective view of the assembly of Fig. 1, showing onemode of packaging the strip of pictures and the container, in which thestrip is folded on the outside of the container;

Fig. 6 is a front perspective view, with parts cut away, of the assemblyof Fig. 2, showing another mode of packaging the strip of pictures andthe container, in which the strip is folded and placed within thecontainer;

Fig. 7 is a rear perspective view of a portion of the assembly of Fig.2, showing still another mode of packaging the strip of pictures and thecontainer, in which the strip is rolled and placed in one end of thecontainer;

Fig. 8 is a rear perspective view of the assembly of Fig. 1, showing astill further mode of packing the strip of pictures and the container,in which the strip extends into the container and is folded at theoutside thereof; and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view illustrating how" the container, the picturestrip, and the sheet,'co'mused as a simulated tele- 3 prising theassembly of Fig. 3 may be packaged.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, wherein exemplary embodiments of myinvention are shown for illustrative purposes, the reference characterl0 designates a box or container for food or gum which may be formed ofa suitable material such as paper or cardboard. The container has a backII provided with upper and lower slots l2 and I3, and a front l4 havingan opening across which a window I! 5 for viewing the contents of thecontainer is attached. The window is made of a suitable transparentmaterial such as cellophane. The container has upper and lower ends l6and I1 which may be formed as flanged extensions of the container backII. The upper end I6 may be permanent and fixed to the front I 4 at theedge of the window l5. The lower end I! may be openable to facilitateremoval of the contents of the container I0, and the front l4 may berecessed as at l8 to permit the end I! to be engaged in order to beopened.

In Figs; 1 and 2 the contents of the container have been removed, and apicture strip I9, which may be formed of paper, cloth, or other suitablematerial, has been inserted through the slots l2 and I3 in the containeraback ll so as to extend into and out of the container. The upper end ofthe picture strip!!! is folded over and attached to itself to form aloop in which a cross strip- 20 is positioned. It is longer than thewidth of the picture strip l9 and the length of the slot l2 so as toprevent the upper end of the picture strip from being pulled into thecontainer Hi. The cross strip also reinforces the upper end of thepicture s'tripand facilitates holding of the picture strip by its upperend when the latter strip is pulled upward through the container. Thelower end ofthe' picture strip 59 comes to a point as indicated at 20 tofacilitate insertion of the picture strip through container slots l2 and33. The lower end of the picture strip it may also be looped andprovided with a similar cross strip if desired. The picture strip maycarry suitable indicia to identify a television network or program atits upper end, a series of pictures therebelow which might'represent aseries of images viewable'on a television screen, and a suitabledesignation at the lower end to signify the close of a televisionprogram. The window 15 serves as the television screen. The picturestrip 19 may be pulled up through the container it, with the various pictures on the strip-moving past the window it to be viewed therethroughas images on a television program. A somewhat different illusion isobtained if the picture strip is pulled down through the container,since the order of viewing the pictures through the container window l5will be reversed. In this fashion a child or other person may play atoperating a television set and view a television program.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a sheet 2| which may be associated with the containerl and picture strip l9 of Figs. 1 and 2 to enable the user to imaginemore easily that he is playing at television by use of the container andpicture strip. The sheet may be made of paper, cardboard, or othersuitable material. The sheet 2| has one side applied. to the containerback I, this side bearing a pi e torial representation of a room inwhich a television set might be used. A television antenna appears to bepositioned on top of the: container Ill. The pictorial representationmight include a television set at the side of the container. 'Ihe sheet2| has upper and lower slots 22 and 23 hich. r t w h h n ainer slo s:I12 and i3 and through which the picture strip I19: passes. I this wayth pic ur r p helps t keep the. sheet 2| in contact with the. containerHi. If.

desired, the sheet may be actually fastened to the container.

Fig. 5 shows one mode in which the container H) with its food or gumpieces 24 may be packaged with the picture strip. IS. The picture strip.is completely withdrawn from the container and. lies folded against thecontainer back, I, where it is held by a band 25- of paper. cardboard,or suitable material, which has its. ends secured to sides 26 of thecontainer Hi. When the package. of," Fig. 5 is to be used as a. playtelevision apparatus. the food or gum pieces 24 are withdrawn from thecontainer H), and the pointed end 2.0. of: the picture strip 53 isinserted through the. container slot |2 into the container andthroughthe container slot l3 out of the container and pulled down until thecross strip 20 is at the top of the container. Then the picture strip ispulled up as desired. Optionally the picture strip may also be, insertedthrough the slots 22; and 23 of the sheet 2| if the latter sheet withits roomv background is to. be employed.

Fig. 6 shows another mode of packaging in which the picture strip H! isfolded; and placed within the container W at. the back I. l' thereof.

The food or gum pieces 24 are between the folded the container front [:4so that through the window 15.. when 6 is to be, converted to a playtelevision apparatus, the pieces 24- and the. folded strip is removedfrom the. container l fl, the strip If! is inserted into and out of. thecon, tainer as described with reference to 5. Op! tionally the strip l9may be inserted throu h the slots in the sheet 2| if it is to beemployed.

Fig. 7 shows a third mode of packaging in which the picture strip iskept rolled up by an. ad? hesive piece 2'! and placed in the containerHI, preferably at the end thereof away from the window l5 so as not tointerfere with viewing of a piece of food or gum in the. container. thepackage of Fig. '7 is to be used as a play'television set, the rolledpicture strip l9 and the food or gum pieces are taken out of the; boxl0, tl' ev adhesive piece 21 is removed from thev picture. strip, andthe strip is inserted into. and out, of the container ID as describedwith reference to Figs. 5 and 6. Optionally the. sheet 2| may be p ye ndin that event th picture strip will also be inserted through the slots-22 and 23; in t e heetpicture strip and they can be seen the package ofFig.

In the package of Fig. 8 the picture strip I9 is already inserted intoand out of the container slots l2 and I3, the lower end of the stripbeing looped and provided with a cross strip 28 like the cross piece 2|at the top end, and the greater portion of the picture strip beingfolded and held against the outside of the container back II y the b ndW the pa ka e of Fi 8 is to be converted to a play television apparatus,the food or gum pieces 24 are removed from the container l0, and theband 25 is loosened if the cross strip 2| on the picture strip I!)cannot otherwise pass beneath the band 25.

If. the sheet 2| with the room representation thereon is to be employedwith the package of Fig. 8, the ends of the picture strip must be smallenough to be inserted through the slots 22 and 23 in the sheet 2|. Thismay involve temporary removal of the cross strips and 28 or permanentremoval thereof together with the loops on the. picture strip andperhaps shaping of one or both ends of the picture strip I 9 to a pointas at 2|] in Figs. 1, 5, 6, and '7.

In Fig. 9 the sheet 23 forms part of the pack-- age that otherwisecomprises the container ID, the, food or gum pieces 24, and the picturestrip [9 which extends into and out of the container and lies folded atthe rear of the container over the sheet 23. Thus the picture stripkeeps the container and the sheet assembled. The sheet is folded at top,bottom, and sides on top of the folded exterior portion of the picturestrip so as to conform to the size of the container III. The band keepsthe sheet 23 and the picture strip I9 tightly folded against thecontainer.

While I have illustrated preferred embodiments of my invention, manymodifications may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention, and I do not wish to be limited to.

the precise details of construction set forth, but. desire to availmyself of all. changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what- 12, claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A combined display carton for merchandise and amusement devicecomprising, in combination, a substantially rectangular carton having".front and rear walls spaced apart and which.

with relatively narrow sides and end closing parts normally constitute ashallow container of predetermined volume, said front wall having anopening therein of a height and width greater the Width of saidrelatively narrow sides and end closing parts and covered by transparentmaterial and through which merchandise within the container is visibiefrom the exterior thereof, slots at opposite ends of the rear wall ofthe container and spaced outwardly from alignment with opposite edges ofsaid covered opening, a. strip of flexible material.- longer than thespace between the slots and of a width for threading through the slotsso as to extend along the inner surface of, the rear wall and outthrough the slots at the opposite ends, said stri of flexible mate-.rial having printed frames thereon of a size comparable to that of theopening and successively visible therethrough after removal of themerchandise from the container and as the strip is pulled through theslots from end to end.

2. A combined display carton for merchandise and amusement device asdefined in claim 1., and whe ein he s ip is old d externally f tneeonainer o as to 11c adjacent the exteriorof the rear wall thereof andwithin the side and end limits of the container.

3. A combined amusement device and display carton for merchandisecomprising, in combination, a carton type of container having tworelatively large walls in opposed relationship and a window in one ofsaid walls which is of substantial size compared to the area of the walland through which merchandise is visible when housed therein, saidcontainer having substantially parallel narrow slots in the wall thereofwhich is opposite the one having the window therein, said slots beingspaced apart and at positions outside of alignment with opposite edgesof the window, a strip of flexible material narrower than the containerin a direction longitudinal of the slots and having indicia thereon forviewing through the window after the removal of the merchandise from thecontainer, said slots being of a length for receiving said strip offlexible material when threaded therethrough so that a portion of thestrip between the slots is visible through the window after the removalof merchandise from the container, and said strip being longer than thespace between the slots.

4. A combined amusement device and display carton for merchandise asdefined in claim 3, and wherein said strip of flexible material isfolded so as to be shorter than the container'in a direction lateral tothe slots, and wherein a fastening element is utilized for securing thestrip to the exterior of the container.

5. A combined amusement device and display carton for merchandise asdefined in claim 3, and wherein said strip of flexible material isrolled and placed within the container at one end thereof.

LEWIS Y. L. HAYLEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date 1,603,592 Glasner Oct. 19, 1926 1,609,653 Maez Dec. 7,1926 1,995,463 Young Mar, 26, 1935 2,018,393 Andrew Oct. 22, 19352,071,121 Harlow Feb. 16, 1937 2,278,124 Kowinski Mar. 31, 1942

